Bonitas Best Bet battles to Grassroots Final triumph

MILTON, September 30, 2023 – Despite compiling an undefeated record in three Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots preliminary events and finishing second in her semifinal, Dave Menary trainee Bonitas Best Bet (All Bets Off-Bonita Beach) provided something of a shock as the fourth favourite, at 6-1, in Saturday night’s (Sep. 30) $75,000 Grassroots series final for two-year-old pacing fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

She used a sustained first-over grind to nail 9-5 favourite and divisional point leader Tribal Dancer in the final 40 yards of a lifetime best 1:51.3 mile.

The filly used front-pacing tactics to win all three of her Grassroots prelims — one at Hiawatha Horse Park and her last two at Woodbine — before Betterwithglasses nabbed her in the final yards of a 1:52.2 mile in the September 21 semifinal, but she employed a change of tactics in avenging that defeat.

Betterwithglasses and driver Trevor Henry slingshotted to the lead from post 10, drilling a :12.1 first eighth to clear How Much and Tribal Dancer before rolling uncontested to a :26.3 first quarter.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Drury floated Bonitas Best Bet into a stalking position just off the top trio. Up the backstretch, Jody Jamieson brushed Tribal Dancer from third to the lead, and after a :55.1 half, they began to draw clear from the other nine, only for Bonitas Best Bet to begin her first-over ascent out of fourth midway on the far turn.

Tribal Dancer, who was 3 ½ lengths clear at one point, was all-out in upper stretch after hitting three-quarters in 1:22.3, and in the crosshairs of Bonitas Best Bet by the eighth pole. The persistent Bonitas Best Bet wore down Tribal Dancer with 40 yards to go, striking the front and outlasting a bold four-wide rally from stablemate and runner-up Make Out With Me (driven by Tyler Borth) – who was eighth swinging off the home turn – by a mere head. Tribal Dancer finished third.

“She’s had such a productive year,” said Menary of Bonitas Best Bet, who improved her seasonal record to five wins from 10 starts and upped her earnings to $96,954 for Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Weaver Bruscemi, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. “She’s such a willing filly and very, very handy. She’s been in the right place at the right time, but she can overcome any kind of trip and you can drive her any way you want. She ended the year on a good note; that’s a pretty nice lifetime mark.”

Bonitas Best Beet paid $15.50 to win.